Monthly Archives: March 2021

When Telecom unearthed its files on early private radio stations in Otago, it came up with more than dust and cobwebs. Radio New Zealand historian JIM SULLIVAN recounts the “fascinating stories” of the province’s radio station in the 1930s.

DUNEDIN was New Zealand’s “radio capital” in the early 1930s as it boasted more radio stations than any other city. Public radio was administered by the Broadcasting Board in Wellington and it had two Dunedin stations 4YA and 4YO.

RADIO – In the “Good Old Days”.

From “The N.Z. Radio Times” dated Wednesday, June 10, 1936.

Station 2AQ, Taihape, owned and operated by Morton W. Coutts, first came on the air in 1922, and in the following article Mr. W. T. Chappen tells of the thrills he experienced while using an old-time receiver during the years that 2AQ was transmitting.

With a view to suitably illustrating this article we delved deeply into dusty relics of bygone days and finally managed to unearth these sets, although we are still uncertain whether they were used in the stone age or for communication between Britain and Rome in the time of Julius Caesar.

The following are Frank’s cards courtesy of his son Bruce of Taieri Mouth near Dunedin.